Follow Your Heart
by lildreamer7
Summary: Updated & Finished! Formerly known as Secrets and Lies. Rewritten and continued. As the secrets come out, so do the feelings. Hint of GSR. Mostly Grillows.
1. Secrets and Lies

**Title:** Follow Your Heart

**Author:** lildreamer

**Rating:** K+

**Pairings:** Hint of GSR. Mostly Grillows.

**Spoilers:** Tiny one for S6 finale

**Summary:** When secrets start coming out, so do the feelings.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters. They belong to Carol Mendelsohn and Jerry "CSI" Bruckheimer.

**All right people, on with the story…**

"_You!_" Catherine burst into Grissom's office, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You did this!"

Grissom looked up from the paperwork he was trying to do and pulled off his glasses, his brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Why did Sara just take over my case?" she asked, hands on her hips, waiting for an answer.

_Oh, that._ "I just thought I'd let her take over the on-site investigation," he explained. "Let you work here in a coordination role."

Catherine felt her face flush. "This is _my_ case! You can't just remove me!"

Grissom's eyebrows went up. "Did I say remove? I don't remember using that word. And if you haven't noticed in your years with the lab, we juggle investigators quite frequently for a number of reasons."

Catherine folded her arms across her chest. "Oh, really? Like what?" she challenged, looking him square in the eye.

His mouth opened and closed several times but he couldn't form any words.

She scowled at him, arching an eyebrow. "You don't have one, do you?"

He shook his head, succumbing to the truth. He didn't have a reason for what he did. At least, not a very good one.

"I should've known…Since when did you start playing favorites?"

"What? I never said—"

"Oh, please. Enough with the innocent crap. I know about you and Sara."

The color instantly drained from his face. She'd called his bluff.

"I went to your house the other day," Catherine explained. "I wanted to update you on the case we were working on. I tried calling, but you weren't answering any of your phones. So, I decided I'd tell you in person. But when I got there—I don't know what's worse: You deliberately ignoring my calls or finding you with _her._ I cannot believe you would…"

He was quick to defend himself. "Oh, look who's talking! I've seen the way you and Warrick look at each other. And I wouldn't be surprised if the _two of you_ were up to something. You have your secrets and I have mine."

Catherine just stared at him, her eyes misted with tears.

Grissom saw the look on her face and immediately regretted what he had just blurted out. "No, that didn't come out like I—"

"Is that what you think?" she said, trying to ignore the knot in her throat. "That's what you think. You think I would sink to that level. You have the audacity to sit there and accuse me of having some sort of secret relationship with a _married_ man."

"That's not what I meant. I just--"

"I'm not you…"

"I'm sorry...I never should've—"

"_I'm sorry_ doesn't cut it." she interrupted, her anger showing. "You lied, Gil!" He could almost feel the hurt and disappointment in her voice. "You lied to Ecklie! You lied to your team!" Her eyes filled with tears. "You lied to _me_...and like an idiot, I believed you."

"Cath, I can explain." His eyes pleaded with hers.

She held up her hand to stop him. "Forget it. I don't want to hear it. I'm through covering for your mistakes."

"What?"

"I'm not gonna tell anyone about what I saw. But if they find out somehow...you're on your own."

Grissom was way past hurt and angry. He was seething. And he was afraid he would do something that he would regret, so he did the only thing he could think of.

"Leave, Catherine," he said through gritted teeth.

"_Excuse me_?" Catherine was incredulous.

"And this time, don't come back."

"You don't mean that…"

"Get out!" He practically yelled at her, his words coming out sharper than he had intended.

"Fine." Catherine stood from her seat and turned to leave. "What happened to you? You used to be a good and decent man. And you genuinely cared about your team. But…you've changed. I—I don't know you anymore. What happened to the Gil I used to know?"

He remained silent. He seemed to have run out of answers.

She shook her head sadly as she made her way out of his office. "Goodbye, Gil…"

As he watched her retreating figure disappear down the hallway, the reality of what had just happened hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd just lost one of his closest friends. All because of his own selfishness. And to make matters worse, he'd lied about it. Lied about everything. What _had_ happened to the Gil she used to know? A single tear slid silently down his cheek.

"What have I done?"


	2. Loving and Losing

Catherine walked solemnly out of Grissom's office, wiping the tears from her eyes. She was so upset by what had happened that she bumped into someone and didn't even notice.

"Are you okay?" the person asked.

Without looking to see who it was, she pushed past them and made her way out of the building. She got into her car and started the long drive home, tears blurring her vision.

* * *

She walked into her house a few minutes later, but did not announce her presence like she usually did. But the sound of footsteps clomping through the house caught her mother's attention. Lily lifted her head from the couch where she had fallen asleep.

"Catherine, is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom."

Although detecting a hint of sadness in her voice, she didn't say anything, knowing her daughter would soon be back to talk. She was right. Ten minutes later, Catherine walked past her into the kitchen and plopped down in a chair. Lily caught up with her there.

Catherine was just sitting there, staring at a mug of coffee, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. Lily slid into a chair beside her and put a gentle hand on her arm.

"Are you planning to drink that, or are you just seeing if you can move it with your mind?"

Catherine smiled wearily and brushed a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry, mom. I didn't mean to be rude. I just needed to be by myself, I guess."

"Do you want me to go? I don't want to intrude, you know that?"

"It's okay. I guess I need to talk to someone, and who better, right?"

"Right. So what's been going on?"

"It's Gil. We had another argument."

'What about?" She knew that Catherine and Grissom had known and worked with each other for a very long time. They seemed to be very close.

"Something stupid." Her daughter shook her head. "I don't know. We seem to be fighting about everything lately."

Lily chuckled. "Like an old married couple."

Catherine moaned. "Mooom…"

"Sorry, honey. Go on."

"My life is a mess." Catherine eyes welled with fresh tears. "Everything just seems to be going so wrong. And today--today was the worst. We were practically at each other's throats. And we said some pretty nasty things to each other. Everything just got so out of hand. I don't know what got into to me."

"Oh, honey…" Lily lovingly took her daughter into her arms as she began to cry.

"And now I feel awful. What's wrong with me? How could I say such horrible things?"

Lily offered her words of wisdom as she hugged her tight. "We often hurt those we love."

_Love?_ Catherine had never thought about it that way. Did she love Gil? Yes, of course she did. As a friend. But nothing more. Right? But then again, the way she was she acting…it was like she was…she was _jealous_. No, couldn't be. She was jumping to conclusions. If she _was_ jealous—which she was pretty sure she wasn't—then that would prove that she was in love with him—which she knew couldn't possibly happen. Could it? And even if she was, why should she be jealous of Sara? Sara had more issues than a magazine subscription. Grissom would never be able to handle all that emotional baggage. Still, she felt as though a loop had been formed and she wasn't in it.

"You going to be okay, honey?" her mom asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

She looked at her mom and smiled. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks, mom." She got up from her seat, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up."

"Just get back here when you're done," Lily said. "You look hungry. When was the last time you ate something?"

Ignoring her mom being a mom, Catherine made her way into the living room. She glanced around and couldn't help but notice that it was unusually quiet.

"Mom?" she called. "Where's Lindsay?"

"She's in her room," Lily answered over the rustling of pots and pans.

Catherine went up to her daughter's room and knocked on the door. No answer. She called out her daughter's name and knocked again. And again. Still nothing. She knew that Lindsay would ignore her sometimes when she didn't want to talk to her or was listening to her Ipod and didn't hear the knocking. But this wasn't like her. She would have opened the door by now, looking very annoyed. Catherine tried the knob, beginning to worry that something was wrong. To her amazement, it opened. It wasn't locked.

She stepped inside the small bedroom and looked around. The room was a basic teenage girl room with posters on the walls and stuffed animals piled in the corner, girly colors prominent on her belongings. Slightly messy but way cleaner than a teenage boy's room. Her pink backpack lay on her bed, open, books and other school supplies spilled out onto the sheets. But the girl was nowhere to be found.

"Mom, I thought you said Lindsay was in her room?"

"She is," Lily said coming up behind her. "She's been in there since she got a home."

"Well, she's not here." Catherine said becoming frantic.

"What?" Lily glanced around the room, her face mirroring her daughter's. "Oh, my god. I could have sworn--"

"The window…" Catherine's keen CSI eyes caught a glimpse of the girl's window, slightly ajar, the drapes flapping in the cool night breeze.

She flew like a flash to the window and looked out into her backyard and into the night. But all she could see was darkness. Her daughter was nowhere to be found. She'd run away again.

Her shoulders slumped as she leaned against the windowsill and began to cry. "She's gone…"

Lily pulled her into a hug, letting her cry into her shoulder.

"I'm losing everything I ever cared about…"

**So, whaddaya think? Like it? Love it? Your reviews are my muses!**


	3. Letting Go

**Here's another chap, people! Hope you like it!**

_Stupid, Gil. Stupid, stupid._

Grissom scolded himself. At the moment, he felt like the biggest jerk in the entire world. He'd just told off his best friend then practically kicked her out of the lab. _Nice going, genius. Now she could be gone forever. What the heck were you thinking?_ Truth be told, he wasn't. When Catherine told him what she'd seen, he'd felt embarrassed and violated. And he just lost it. What was she doing prying into his private life, anyway? She had no right. But she didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident. Wrong place, wrong time. She couldn't control what had happened that night. And neither could he.

He'd been caught and there was nothing he could do about it. _Stupid, stupid Gil._ This was his doing, his selfishness…his fault.

A soft knock pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced up at the doorway and found the last person he wanted to see at that moment standing there. Sara. She had a troubled look on her face.

"Hey, I just saw Catherine walk out of here. She looked pretty upset. Is everything okay?"

As she said that, he couldn't help but notice the same strange look he'd seen in Catherine's eyes at times. A cross between concern and empathy.

"Everything's fine," he answered plainly, looking back down at his work.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." His grip on his pen became tighter. He really didn't wanted to be bothered right now.

"If you wanna talk, you know—"

"LEAVE!…me alone…"

She stared at him then crossed her arms stubbornly.

"NO!" She walked up to his desk and looked him square in the eyes. "I am not leaving. Not with you like this. Now, what the heck is going on?"

Grissom suddenly felt like a silly schoolboy standing in the principal's office. He ran his fingers through his short, silvery hair. His face softened.

"I'm sorry, Sara." He apologized. "Catherine and I--we got into another argument today."

"You two have been having a lot of those lately. The entire lab can hear you. You guys have been at each other's throats all week. What's going on?"

Grissom's eyes were downcast. "She knows."

"What?" Sara's eyes widened knowing exactly what he was talking about. "How? Since when? She has no right—"

"Hey, it's not her fault, alright. The only person that should be blamed is me. She would've never have been there in the first place if it wasn't for me. I ignored her phone calls and looked what happened. I am such an idiot."

_I can just imagine what she must have felt like when she saw us. Her world must've come crashing down all around her. It must've broken her heart. _Sara knew that Grissom and Catherine had known each other for a long time. Way before she came into the picture. They were the best of friends. And when they worked together, she could see that the two had this—connection. They played on each other's strengths and compensated for each other's weaknesses. It was something that _she_ could never have with him.

Those two were meant to be together. They were two halves of a whole. They were made for each other. And she knew it. But because of her own selfish ambitions, she chose to ignore that fact and pursue her own fantasies. Not thinking that someone would be hurt in the process. And now, the strong bond she had seen between Catherine and Grissom had crumbled. And it was all her fault._ You're not the idiot, Gil. I am…_

Sara shook her head. "You're not the idiot, Grissom. _I_ am."

"What? You're not—"

"No." She raised a hand to silence him. "I am and you know it. Your friendship was ruined because of _me_." She took a deep breath before continuing. "You two had a good thing going and I went and messed it all up. I should never have let it get this far."

"What are you saying?"

"You know what I'm saying. And you know I'm right."

Grissom nodded his head reluctantly.

"You and I were never meant to be."

That was it then. She was letting him go. "You're sure?"

Sara gave a slight nod. But instead of sadness, he felt this huge sense of relief wash over him.

"So, what now? My mind is telling me one thing and my heart another."

Sara chuckled. "You think too much with your head. Think with your heart instead of your mind." She put a gentle hand on his arm. "Follow your heart."

Grissom remained silent for a moment then took a deep breath, rising from his seat, knowing what he had to do. "Well, I'll have to face her sooner or later."

"Yeah." Sara stayed out of his way as he grabbed his coat from behind his chair. "It's not gonna be pretty. But don't worry. Things will work out. I promise."

He turned and gave her a special smile. "Thank you."

She returned the smile and followed him out of his office and into the hallway. She almost ran into him when he stopped dead in his tracks.

His cell phone had gone off and he had pulled it out of his pocket to check the message. He was staring at it wide-eyed.

"Grissom, what's wrong?" Sara got her answer when she glanced over his shoulder at the tiny screen.

CATHERINE 911 

Catherine was in trouble. Before Sara could say anything, Grissom pocketed the phone and dashed out of the building.

He really did care about that woman, didn't he? Sara smiled inwardly, knowing she had done the right thing. The corner of her lips curved slightly as she watched his figure disappear through the front entrance.

_Go to her._

**So, what do you think? A little sad for GSR fans, but whatcha gonna do? This is a Grillows fic not GSR.**


	4. A Mother's Tears

_"No words describe a mother's tears. No words can heal a broken heart…"_

**Here's another chappy, yall! Read on…**

Grissom headed for the parking lot and hopped into his car. He tried to call Catherine as he swung his car out of the lot and merged with the steady flow of traffic. The lines were busy! He tossed the cell on the passenger seat and tried not to speed as he drove toward her house. His thoughts spun crazily. His pulse pounded in his ears.

Catherine was in trouble. Something was wrong. Something had happened after she'd left his office. But what could have possibly happened in the in _one_ hour?

About fifteen minutes later he parked at the curb and hurried toward the house. He was about to ring the doorbell when the door opened and his eyes rested on a very distressed Catherine. She stared at him with a tear-stained face and grabbed his arm.

"Lindsay's missing…"

* * *

"What happened?" Grissom asked after they had gone inside and sat down on her couch.

"I don't know," Catherine answered, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "I came home and she—she was just gone."

"Have you two been fighting again?" She stared at him, the question suddenly striking them as ironic.

Catherine shook her head. "That's the thing…we were actually starting to get along. So, I don't know why she would do this. I thought everything was fine between us. I—I don't know what to do, Gil. I don't know what to do…"

As she started to cry again, Grissom put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, don't worry. We'll find her. I promise."

Just as he said that there was a knock on the door. They both looked up and watched as Lily went over to the door and opened it. All their eyes widened.

Lindsay was standing there, a small figure shivering in the rain. Her clothes were soaked and water was dripping off her hair.

"Please, don't say I told you so," she sobbed, tears mixing with the rain.

"Lindsay!" Catherine shrieked, dashing toward the door and enveloping her daughter in her arms, not caring that she was soaking wet.

"Mom, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," Lindsay cried, holding on to her mother for dear life. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay, baby." Catherine stroked her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're okay that's all that matters."

"Hey, get in here, you two," Lily said, coming toward them with fresh towels. "Before either of you get sick."

They obeyed immediately and came inside as Lily wrapped them up in towels. Grissom closed the door behind them and sat back down on the couch, waiting patiently as they dried themselves off and changed their clothes.

When they reappeared, Catherine was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. Lindsay was in her pajamas, a throw blanket around her shoulders. Lily emerged from the kitchen carrying two mugs of coffee and a glass of milk. She handed one coffee to her daughter and the other to Grissom, leaving the milk for Lindsay.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Catherine asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Lindsay looked down at the floor, unable to face her mother. "You remember, Jackie, my friend from school?"

Catherine nodded.

"Well, she told me about this party and that everyone was going. And I really wanted to go too, but I knew you wouldn't let me. So, I kinda snuck out. One of Jackie's friends drove us there. It was fun at first, but then there was this guy, Justin…"

As Lindsay continued to talk on about that Justin character, Grissom couldn't help but notice the tenderness with which Catherine rubbed her daughter's hand and the compassion with which she listened to her story.

Tears began to slide down Lindsay's cheeks. "I was so scared. Justin was drunk. We never should have…"

Her mother pulled her into another hug and Grissom saw his friend's pained face for the first time in years—warm, tired blue eyes filled with nothing but thanks for her daughter's safe return and love for the child who's father had left her alone.

He now knew the pain that the strawberry-blonde CSI went through every time her daughter ran away. And yet, she never gave up on her. Despite all the lies the girl had told her, she still loved her.

"Mom, I'm sorry for not listening to you," Lindsay apologized sincerely. "Are you mad at me?"

A smile penetrated her mother's tears as the lines in her tested face told Lindsay all she needed to know. Grissom smiled to himself as he watched mother and daughter reconcile. It was his first encounter with unconditional love.

Not every mother can be pushed to the limits time and time again, and venture back with feelings of love.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Lily came back into the room.

"Time for bed, young lady," she said, more to her own daughter than to her granddaughter.

"Night, Mom." Lindsay hugged her mother tightly.

"Sweet dreams." Catherine brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and placed a kiss on her forehead.

The girl then walked over to Grissom and gave him a quick hug. "Night, Uncle Gil."

"Linds, it's okay to let your mom into your life," he whispered in her ear, hugging her back.

Catherine watched them curiously, noticing her boss and her daughter share a smile. _I wonder what he said to her…_

Once Lindsay had disappeared into her room, Catherine turned to Grissom and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he chuckled. "I didn't do anything. She came back all on her own."

"Still…" Everything in Catherine's being wanted to reach out to him then. To touch his cheek and tell him that she cared for him more than anyone she'd cared for in a very long time. But she was a CSI, for heaven's sake. They were teammates! She had to remember that. Besides, she wasn't sure if everything was okay between them yet.

She smiled. "You came."

"Well, I—"

Her phone suddenly began to ring, startling both of them. She reached over to the side table and picked up the white receiver.

"Willows."

Grissom watched as the expression on her face changed. Whoever she was talking to wasn't giving her good news. Her face fell.

"O-okay." She hung up and turned to him, her eyes filled with hot, angry tears.

"Well, it looks like you got your wish."

"Huh?" He didn't understand.

"That was Ecklie. He heard us arguing today. I've been suspended until further notice."

"What?" He stared at her in shock.

"Are you happy now?" she demanded.

"No, of course not. That's not what I—"

"Please, leave…" She turned her back to him and he could see her shoulders trembling. She was crying again. "I can't—I can't deal with you right now."

"But—"

"Get out!" she snapped. "Just—just get out!"

She had used his own words on him. Grissom grabbed his things and walked out of the door feeling terrible. This was definitely not what he wanted. He never meant for any of this to happen.

_Ecklie._

This was _his_ fault. He seethed at the name of the self-righteous man that was head of the crime lab. He'd ruined everything. And Grissom wanted nothing more than to wring that weasel's neck right then.

_I'm sorry, Catherine. I'm so sorry…_

**What do u think? Reviews keep the story going. Last chapter 2 b posted, soon.**


	5. A Forgiving Heart

**Here's the final chappy, people! Hope you like it!**

By the time Grissom got home, ate breakfast, and climbed into bed, he'd already lost one precious hour of sleep. His head was numb before it hit the pillow. He fell into an exhausted sleep within the minute, lost to the horrors of what had happened that day. He spent the night tossing and turning, reliving what had happened that night. The look on Catherine's face when he'd practically ruined her life. Nothing could wash away the images.

He heard the ringing long before he woke up. His eyes somehow managed to open and he sleepily hit the alarm clock. He could see the sun setting through the window. He knew he would have to get up eventually and go to work, but at the moment he felt as though he'd worked a triple. He closed his eyes.

The alarm went off again.

His eyes snapped open. He slapped the clock again, turning it off permanently. He wrestled off the sheets and slid to the floor. He quickly freshened up, had dinner, and headed out to his car. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he felt the evening air cool his clammy skin. He glanced around before hopping into his car, knowing full well that the underworld of Las Vegas was undoubtedly stirring. He drove for the lab oblivious of the night crawlers making their appearance.

* * *

Once he arrived at work, he avoided Ecklie, for the simple reason that he didn't trust himself in his presence. If he'd been frustrated with him before, the sight of him walking down the hallway toward him made him seethe now.

"Gil, I need to talk to you."

"Not now, Conrad."

To Grissom's surprise, Ecklie grabbed his arm and steered him away from the curious lab rats, squeezing with enough force to hurt him. They ended up in Ecklie's office. Grissom waited for the door to shut before he chose to speak.

"Let go," he snapped.

Ecklie released his arm and glanced over his shoulder, smiling. "Please, Gil, take a seat. Take a breath."

Grissom didn't like the tone of his voice. _Easy, man. Your life is in this guy's hands._

Why wasn't I told?" he demanded.

Ecklie spread his hands. "You obviously were."

Grissom glared at him.

"Please, I know this is hard, but you have to try to look at the situation objectively. You and Catherine have been fighting everyday for over a month. And frankly, it was getting out of hand. The lab could do without you two squabbling like children."

"So you fired her?"

"I did not fire her; I _suspended_ her."

They locked stares.

Grissom closed his eyes and drew a careful breath.

"Look, I'm sorry, really I am." Ecklie continued. "I can only imagine what she must be going through right now. And I can't think of anyone who is more qualified to be a CSI, but the equation changed when you two turned on each other."

Grissom opened his eyes. "Catherine is more than qualified. She is an _excellent _CSI. And a valuable member of my team. No one deals with difficult cases like she does. She is one of the best criminalists here. You need her." _I need her._

He said it with a strong voice, but only because he'd long ago learned to stuff emotion. For the most part. The job did that. The better part of him wanted to scream at Ecklie and tell him where he could put his objectiveness.

Ecklie hesitated. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You two are becoming a liability to my lab, and if you think I'm just going to stand by and let you, you're naïve."

Grissom felt his face flush with anger."Is there something in the air here that messes with your hearing? What part of 'you need her' didn't penetrate that thick skull of yours?"

Ecklie scowled at him. "Gil, you are bordering on insubordination."

Grissom smiled. "You won't fire me. You can't. You need me, just like you need Catherine." He arched an eyebrow, noticing the strange look on Ecklie's face. "And you know it…don't you?"

"Okay, Gil, you win." Ecklie's eyes narrowed for a brief second, then he smiled again. "We're not through with this."

"Sure we are." He walked away. "And don't ever touch me again."

If not for the fact that half the lab was watching, Grissom might have taken the man's tie and shoved it down his throat. It took him thirty seconds to put the man out of his mind. He had more important things to think about than an overzealous jerk.

His mind set, he took a break from work and decided to head to Catherine's place to let her know that she had her job back. He also wanted to apologize to her for everything. For his behavior the night before. She deserved one. For real this time. No interruptions.

* * *

Halfway there, Grissom saw a vaguely familiar car with its flashers on. As he passed by, he noticed a person working under the hood. He turned around and pulled up next to the car.

Getting out of his own car, he walked up and asked, "Do you need help?"

The person slowly turned. It was Catherine.

Grissom swallowed hard as he walked closer to the car. "What seems to be the problem?"

The strawberry-blonde CSI stood there, amazed, then told her old friend what her car had done. Though Grissom wasn't exactly mechanically inclined, he was more so than her. They worked together for over an hour, not really saying much.

With the car finally running, Catherine thanked him. "Well, see you around."

"Wait!" Catherine felt his fingers gently wrap around her wrist.

She turned to face him, confused.

"Cath, I— there's something—what I mean to say is—I need to—no, I _want_ to tell you…"

Catherine arched an eyebrow, amused by his sudden case of the stutters.

He took a deep breath. "I—I'm sorry. For everything. For all those stupid things I said to you yesterday. I didn't mean any of it."

"You sounded pretty convincing to me."

"I've made a lot of mistakes, lately. Mistakes that have hurt others. Worst of all they've hurt _you_. You are the last person I wanted to hurt. I've been treating you like crap when all you've done is be my friend. You didn't deserve what I did to you. It was wrong and…I hope you can forgive me."

"Oh, Gil…" Catherine said softly, pulling him into her arms and hugging him tight. "I forgave you a long time ago."

His eyes widened, taken by surprise. She'd forgiven him before he'd even asked!

"Besides," she continued, pulling away from him. "We've been put through worse stuff than that. I mean, it was only last year when Ecklie split up our team and poor Nicky got buried alive."

Grissom nodded. "Yeah, those things were pretty bad. But you know what was worse?" He looked at her with a sparkle in his eye. "Spending all that time away from you."

She smiled, her eyes welling with tears. "I don't know what to say…"

He was opening his mouth to answer when his cell phone began to beep. He pulled it off his belt and stared at the tiny screen, frowning.

"Duty calls. I'm so behind with all my work; I don't know where to start."

"You need me." That sounded a bit forward. "I mean you need someone _like_ me. There are a lot of things…"

Grissom suddenly leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "No, I don't need someone _like_ you," he said. "I need _you_."

He pulled back, then looked away and blushed.

She couldn't help herself anymore. She stepped forward and kissed him very lightly on his cheek.

"And I need you, Gil. I need you too."

* * *

_The next day_…

When Catherine walked into her office that evening, she found something on her desk that didn't belong. A flower. She smiled, picking it up and inhaling it's wonderful scent. _I wonder where this came from._ A smile still on her face, she headed toward the office of the only person she could think of that might leave something like that for her.

"Was this your idea?" she asked, holding the flower up for Grissom to see.

He arched an eyebrow then held up an identical one. "I thought you…"

She shook her head. "Then who…?"

"They're from me." They both looked toward the doorway and found Sara standing there, smiling nervously.

A smile spread across their faces as they glanced back down at their gifts, understanding dawning on them.

Yellow roses.

A sign of friendship.

* * *

**So, this is the end. What did you think? I know it was kind of short, but it was never meant to be long.**

**Keep a look out for a new story that I will post soon! It'll be longer and have suspense and mystery in true CSI style… See ya next time!**


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